Takes and trash talk from both ALL sides of the NHL's most obscure PATHETIC* rivalry

* Thanks, Kevin Lowe!

Friday, May 02, 2008

Rut Roh (The Director's Cut)

The Stars just caught Lady Luck in bed with a mysterious gentleman wearing Teal. Yes, indeed, the Stars might have the series lead but the Sharks regained their self-belief after coming back from the dreaded "worst lead in hockey."

There's basically two ways to look at Game 6 if you're a Stars fan. Either you're optimistic and think that the next two games are the equivalent of two coin flips: there's a good chance you'll get at least one of them to land your way. And then there's the Chicken Little side, the one that says the Stars are screwed if they have to win a Game 7 in Computer Arena after losing all the momentum.

Either way, the Sharks have nothing to lose (not true) while the Stars are facing that energy-sapping "we better not get reverse swept" feeling and need to win one of the next two to avoid being placed with the 1975 Pittsburgh Penguins and that New York Yankees team on the Mount Rushmore of playoff choke jobs. There's really no good way to spin coughing up a 3-0 lead. Even if you're the underdog.

A lot will be made about the Brendan Morrow goal that was called back (my opinion: "dubious"). But the Stars had the lead at that point and increased that lead soon afterward, so to blame the loss on a non-goal that honestly should have been rendered irrelevant is just making excuses. Besides, the Ambassador of Fun scored a certain obvious non-goal to win a certain Stanley Cup, so Stars fans might want to save their tissues for another day.


The funny thing about the Bill Buckner error and the Bartman fiasco is that both scapegoat moments happened on a Game 6. In other words, their teams still had a chance to seal the deal.

The Stars have no excuse if they lose four games in a row. Choker, soft, whatever label you choose might not be fair but that's life.

Avoiding that ugly fate would be slightly easier if they got Stu Barnes back, though.

10 comments:

Earl Sleek said...

A lot will be made about the Brendan Morrow goal that was called back (my opinion: "dubious").

My opinion: bullshit. Completely based on the home arena, the scoreboard, and the series lead.

Niekon said...

agreed that that first non-goal call was bullshit. Even the lovely Mrs. Niekon agreed and she hates Dallas just as much as she hates SJ.

Ang said...

As a completely unbiased Sharks' fan, I say not bullshit! And given that we could (potentially) have won a game ourselves if the damn ref didn't blow the whistle too soon in game 2 (I believe it was game 2), no one really has room to complain about a goal of the Stars. All is fair in love, war, and HOCKEY!

I did say unbiased right?

And I am not looking ahead to Game 7 yet. Just taking it one game at a time. It's not over till they shake hands. GO SHARKS!

Unknown said...

For me, the main reason that I think it was called back was b/c once it makes contact with his skate, Morrow reverts back to a normal stopping motion. When he headed to the net his back leg was dragging plus he was tracking the puck with his eyes as it got to him.

It is what it is. But my main concern is the Sharks need to prevent Morrow from setting up in front of the net.

Oh and nice poke check by Turco. I bet he was deathly afraid of getting scored on another Marleau breakaway for the third game in a row.

brokeyard said...

Oh please, the Stars haven't blown it yet, they've still got the Sharks by the fins. The Ducks were in the same situation, but no one expected them to win. And the Ducks are better than the Sharks, so I don't see what the big fuss is about.

Mr. Plank said...

@ brokeyard: C'mon man, the situations are nothing alike, and why do you keep pumping "the Ducks are better than the Sharks" thing? Cue the laugh track.

And here's what the big fuss is about:

1) The Sharks were on the verge of getting swept (something the Ducks were not).
2) All the games (even game two) have been extremely tight affairs, with both teams having the opportunity to win.
3) Down 2-0 in the third period against a team that is known to be able to shut it down (and a team who has outscored their opponents by a wide margin in the final twenty), the Sharks storm back and win the game.
4) Momentum, momentum, momentum.
5) I know it's not a definitive thing, but the whole 33 years thing has to be on the Stars mind, however slight it may be.


The first goal getting called off was pretty questionable (at best). But as Angie pointed out above, these things seem to exact some karma.



Total side note: Didn't Alou come out and say (this year) that he wouldn't have caught that ball anyway? Bartman's life is in shambles, and Moises just know says that. Crazy.

brokeyard said...

How about the whole "Not once in our history" on the Sharks mind?

You can cue the laugh track all you want, but their laughing at you, the season series was 5 - 3 Ducks. Worse teams don't beat better teams more often.

Gravypan said...

Except, Angie, one's a reviewable play where the officials should figuratively have all the time they need to come to the correct decision.

The other, meaning Marleau's goal, is not reviewable. Once the ref decides he's lost sight of the puck, the play's over for better or worse.

I do agree with James that I, as a Stars fan, can't blame the loss on that call, however. It'd be easy to say they should have had a 3-0 lead going into the third. But the simple fact of the matter is, just as the Stars would have played differently after the Sharks "should" have been up 2-0, so to would the Sharks have dialed up the pressure had Morrow's goal counted.

Bottom line is Dallas was 20 minutes away from a date with the Red Wings Friday night with a two-goal lead and they let the Sharks off the hook....pun may or may not be intended.

Bryan said...

I'm sure it was an attempt to prolong the series by the NHL. They do that kind of stuff. Ask Alfredson.

That being said, I still think Dallas closes it out in Game 6.

And anyone who thinks the Ducks were better than the Sharks this year is crazy. Last I checked, the Sharks won the division.

Earl Sleek said...

And anyone who thinks the Ducks were better than the Sharks this year is crazy.

Nobody's crazy, but anyone who is providing a definitive answer to that question has a lot more nerve than I've got.

It's a phantom question: there's no quantitative way I think to answer it.